The Twilight Zone: Season 1, Episode 18Gramma/Personal Demons/Cold Reading (14 Feb. 1986)In "Personal Demons", a blocked writer copes with destructive black-clad creatures that can only be seen by him. In "Cold Reading", an understudy copes with radio director Nelson Westbrook's insistence on real sound effects. |
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Barrett Oliver, the cutie pie from THE NEVERENDING STORY, plays a boy left in charge of his dying grandmother. He makes her a cup of tea but spills it. When he goes to clean it up, he realizes granny's terrible moans and weird mutterings have ceased. He has been reading from a book of hers called The Necromicon, which should give you an idea where the plot is headed. When he goes to check on her, she appears quite dead. Little does he know. We never get a good look at grandma, and the only other performer in this taut little tale is Darlane Fluegel as Oliver's mother, who appears for a minute at the beginning and end. So young Oliver is forced to carry the episode, and he does an admirable job of it, aided and abetted by spooky lighting, unearthly howls and suspenseful music. A nice tip of the hat to Lovecraft.